Gem TownshipSD
A town of 194, settled in 1888.
Is Gem Township a good place to live?
Art Karl Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gem Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
194 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Gem Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gem Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gem Township.
About half of Gem Township’s working residents commute to Aberdeen
For most workers, Gem Township is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Aberdeen (47%), Warner (7%) and Groton (6%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Gem Township
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 3°, with about 42 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Top of a low hazard risk in Gem Township: inland flooding
Expected losses in Gem Township break down as 39% from inland flooding and 34% from cold waves. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Gem Township is
Just over a tenth of Gem Township adults report frequent physical distress. In Gem Township, a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 23%. Only 3 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Gem Township.
| Gem Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Gem Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.5% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gem Township keeps 3.7% of its land conserved
11 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Gem Township comes to 0.2 miles per square mile, below both the South Dakota town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Gem Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Gem Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gem Township
About 0 of every 100 Gem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
99% of working residents leave Gem Township for work
Where Gem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Gem Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gem Township, SD a good place to live?
Gem Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.